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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

How sweet it is: "The Honeymooners" on MeTV

In the final episode of the first season of AMC’s Mad Men, set in 1960, advertising
wunderkind Don Draper pitches his creative concept to Kodak for its latest
product, a slide projector called the Carousel. He speaks of the power of nostalgia
and describes the device as a time machine with the ability to take people to
that place everyone most longs to go, “back home again.” As he delivers his
presentation in a darkened conference room, images of Draper’s own young wife
and children flash onto a screen one by one, and the carousel works its magic
on on those who watch.

MeTV is another sort of time machine. Its viewers are regularly
transported to an earlier, some say more golden, age of television – the ‘50s, ‘60s
and ‘70s, those decades when the network’s target audience, baby boomers like me, was very young. Tripping into the past by way of MeTV is
a purely cheerful experience, nothing at all like the harrowing journey of Martin
Sloan (Gig Young) whose “Walking Distance” detour into his past took him through
the looking glass of The Twilight Zone.

Thanks to MeTV I’ve once again been able to travel The Streets of San Francisco and revisit The Rockford Files, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary
Tyler Moore and, most recently, Rhoda
– all great and legendary series. But the show I can never resist, no matter
how many times I’ve seen it, is The
Honeymooners, the classic 39 episodes that aired on CBS from 1955 – 56.
Since it airs on MeTV at 1:30 a.m. PDT these days, I’ve got the DVR up and
running in the middle of the night just so I can savor the antics of Ralph and
Alice Kramden (Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows) and Ed Norton (Art Carney) a
time or two more.

Alice and Ralph - a promised trip to the moon will end with "Baby, you're the greatest!"

Everyone in my family was a big fan of Jackie Gleason and we were
crazy about his Ralph Kramden, the supersized New York bus driver, a man with “big
ideas” and dreams of becoming a “big shot” one day. We got a kick out of Ed
Norton, the quirky sewer worker who was Ralph’s neighbor and best friend, and adored
long-suffering Alice Kramden, purveyor of sparingly dispensed but devastating wisecracks,
who knew well that beneath Ralph’s bluff and bluster he was a big-hearted
softy. The Honeymooners ran on television
in one form or another from the early ‘50s into the late ‘70s, so it’s fair to
say that it was always in the background of our lives as my brother
and I grew up.

The Honeymooners made
its first TV appearance as a comedy sketch on Cavalcade of Stars, a variety show Jackie Gleason hosted on the
now-dufunct DuMont Network from 1950 – 1952. When he was hired away by CBS in
1952 and began the enormously successful Jackie
Gleason Show, The Honeymooners continued
as a regular sketch within the show. It was wildly popular and became an
increasingly more prominent part of the program, so when Gleason decided to
take a break from the hour-long variety show format, it became a stand-alone
half-hours series from 1955 – 56. The 39 episodes from that season came to be referred
to as “the Classic 39.” When Gleason resumed the variety show format for
a final season, 1956 – 57, The
Honeymooners became, once more, a sketch segment.

Art Carney, Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows on the set

In 1962 Jackie Gleason returned to TV following a hiatus with his American Scene Magazine (1962 – 1966). The Honeymooners was occasionally
featured as part of this variety show. Sue Ane Langdon would appear as Alice
in two 1962 sketches and Audrey Meadows would return as Alice in an hour-long
1966 musical sketch.

Beginning with the 1966 – 67 season
and through the remainder of its run until 1970, The Jackie Gleason Show was filmed in color and The Honeymooners installmentsof this era are known as “the Color Honeymooners.” Sheila MacRae portrayed
Alice in these mostly mini-musical episodes.

From 1970 – 1978, The Honeymooners aired as a series of
nearly annual specials with Audrey Meadows returning as Alice in 1976. Finally, in
1985, a Honeymooners reunion special was broadcast in May and an anniversary special aired in October.

Of all the show's incarnations, it's the early Honeymooners I'm forever drawn to. Part of this, of course, is about the pure quality of the show during that period when it was at its peak. But another part of the attraction has to do with memories of nights with my family in front of a console TV and the unrestrained laughter that filled our living room.

~

Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman, The Hustler (1961)

Jackie Gleason (1916 – 1987),
dubbed “The Great One” by Orson Welles, was nominated for five Emmys from 1953 –
1956. He was honored with a Peabody Award for excellence in television
entertainment in 1956, won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a musical for Take Me Along in 1960 and garnered a
Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination in 1961 for his performance in The Hustler. “Away We Go” is etched in
the marble of the mausoleum in Miami where he is interred.

Art Carney (1918 – 2003) was nominated for eight Emmys for his portrayal of Ed Norton - he won five. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a play, Lovers (1969), and originated
the role of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple
on Broadway in 1965. Carney won a Best
Actor Oscar for his performance in Harry
and Tonto in 1974.

Audrey Meadows (1922 – 1996) won one
of four Emmys she was nominated for for her portrayal of Alice Kramden. She worked
steadily in TV and movies from the early 1950s until 1995.

32 comments:

It is so true that the draw to those original episodes is irresistible. A couple of weeks ago I watched "The Golfer" for maybe the hundredth time. I know what Ralph is going to look like in his golfing togs, but each time I laugh as heartily as if I've never seen it before.

CW - I was watching "Ralph Kramden, Inc." the other night for the first time in years and was reminded that I originally learned of the 'yellow-bellied sapsucker' from Ed Norton. Couldn't help laughing (again) when Ralph asked Norton how he could be sure the bird he was watching was a yellow-bellied sapsucker, a woodpecker not native to NY. Norton's answer, "What else could it be - it had a yellow belly and it was sucking sap..."

Love this show. My cable service doesn't offer Me-TV, but I hope it will sometime. Getting to watch that station was a highpoint of a business trip I took a couple of years ago to another part of the country. I guess that speaks to the power of nostalgia you mention.

Jacqueline, Rod Serling once recalled being on an MGM set and noticing that it resembled his hometown. Overwhelmed with nostalgia, it struck him that "a deep longing to go back" exists in all of us (the experience gave him the idea for "Walking Distance"). In fact, the set of the Kramden apartment was reportedly modeled on the one Jackie Gleason lived in as a I child and was even given Gleason's childhood address.

Eve, my first exposure to these classic characters was when I saw the "the Color Honeymooners" as a kid with my parents. It wasn't until years later that I saw the "Classic 39." Gleason and Carney were one of the great comedic teams. But with Ralph's exaggerated personality and Norton's wackiness, it was a brilliant idea to have them married to sane, patient spouses. This was a great history of the sketch that became a show (and then back to a sketch again). It was also a terrific trip down memory lane.

Rick, I'm not sure at exactly what point in its history I was first exposed to "The Honeymooners" - but I know it was still in b&w. Now, of course, all available sketches, episodes and specials can, thankfully, be found on DVD, YouTube, etc. Very happy MeTV decided to air "the Classic 39." By the way, thank you for organizing this blogathon!

Bang! Zoom! Your article sent me to the moon! I loved watching these on WPIX (Channel 11 in NY/NJ) growing up! I own the dvd set because I love the timeless quality of the humor. Ralph and Norton truly are the everymen who want to succeed but always come up short. Just a great ensemble that worked perfectly together.

I think I may have first seen Jackie Gleason's show and "The Honeymooners" from a playpen, that's how far back it seems to go with me. You're so right, the humor is timeless, the overall quality sublime - and the cast, perfection.

Eve, Those 39 episodes are classic in the best sense of the word. I have lost count on how many times I have seen this show. I remember back in the 70's when I lived in NYC the show was a nightly staple on the local WPIX-TV (Channel 11)at 11PM. Ralph Kramden and then Johnny Carson at 11:30! I just noticed Gilby37 watched the show on Channel 11 too! Having lived in Bensonshurst, Brooklyn I always got a kick out of the fact that they lived there though the streets they mentioned were not in Bensonhurst (but who would know that except someone who lived there). I could not even attempt to tell you what my favorite episodes are, way too many. Wonderful tribute.

John, I remember in the '80s there was much ballyhoo about the discovery of the (not quite) "Lost Episodes" of "The Honeymooners" that later aired on Showtime. But it's "the Classic 39" that I've seen countless times, too. That single season of "The Honeymooners" may be second only to "Lucy" in the multitude of times it's aired over the years. I couldn't name a favorite episode either, love them all.

Add me to the list of those who used to watch this show on Channel 11 in NYC. One of my favorites is the episode when Ralph is a contestant on the "$99,000 Answer" game show, but any episode of the "Classic 39" is a gem.

Thanks for your post. I too am a huge Ed Norton fan--all of Ed's ticks and quirks make him slightly annoying but very adorable. No matter how many times I see them, I can't get enough of the Classic 39.

Joanna, Norton's maddening habit of ritually waving and flailing his arms around before taking a pool shot or writing annoyed Ralph so much that he completely lost his cool every time it happened. Which was hilarious. Gleason and Art Carney were brilliant together.

When I was in college, West Virginia got its first independent TV station up and running, and they used to show reruns of The Honeymooners every weeknight at 10:30pm. Never missed a one. I've lost count of how many times I've watched "The Classic 39," and last year for my birthday my Mom sprung for the honkin' big Honeymooners set from MPI, so I've been making my way through that as well.

You just can't find enough words to describe how good this program is. I've met people who've told me they don't care for it, and I had to stop being friends with them as a result.

I've been eyeing a big and expensive "Honeymooners" set lately - the one with "the Classic 39," the "Lost Episodes," the specials and "The Trip to Europe" - is that what your mom got for you, lucky man? Sigh.

It IS an impossible task to put into words the greatness of "The Honeymooners" - which is why this post is simply a reflection on its place in my life (with an outline of its 30+ year history - from sketch to series to sketch to specials - to emphasize its iconic stature and enduring popularity).

A faulty sense of humor is the only condition I can imagine that might cause someone not to like "The Honeymooners."

Great history. I did not grow up in a "Honeymooners" household, so it's always been off my radar, for some reason. But I loved your post, because I was always sketchy on its history. Someday ... in retirement ... I can catch up on all the great stuff I've missed!

Thanks, Eve. You brought back more memories of watching The Honeymooners on our 9" RCA B&W TV. We didn't mind when the walls of the set would vibrate, because they were just flats. And who could live in that tiny apartment for real?

Even my grandmother was in love with Gleason. She loved the way he could glide across the stage.

Gleason was also quite a musician, with his own band for a while. Those were the days.

Allen, Your comment brought back a couple of memories for me, too - how much my mother adored Gleason (she who was so smitten with Clark Gable and Tyrone Power), and that my brother and his friends (years later, in high school) would mimic Gleason's "Away we go" moves, the sideways dance he did when he would go off stage. I know that Jackie Gleason composed some of the music for his shows and occasionally released albums of his instrumental music.

Irresistible! Fantastic choice and tribute. I own the 39 episodes in the boxed set and it just never gets old. I am flabbergasted by the magic of those television pioneers - much like our beloved film stars - who had such a gift that it transcends time and space. I don't know how else to describe.

Aurora, So many of TV's early comedy stars had success in a broad mix of mediums - often vaudeville, stage, radio and even movies - before television arrived. With all that versatility under their belts, most were definitely "ready for prime time." And, as you mention, the best had a magic that is timeless.

As a kid I was more familiar with the Warner Brothers cartoon spoof of "The Honeymooners". I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a complete episode, but we don't have ME-TV in our area and it never seems to be on TV. However, I loved your tribute to the show and I think I'll make a concerted effort to look for it.

I read somewhere that Audrey Meadows was one of the first television actors to include a clause in her contract that would give her a percentage of residuals. If so, that makes her a very smart business person.

Do you mean "The Flintstones"? Those characters (Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty) were so similar to "The Honeymooners" that I'm amazed Jackie Gleason didn't sue or demand some kind of remuneration from Hanna-Barbera.

Very happy to find out that "Alice" was as smart off-camera as she was on.

No, there was a Warner Bros short with mice who were based on "The Honeymooners" characters, and each day they went to work in the big house, stealing food. I think there was a cat they always had to out-smart...

I'm surprised, too, that Jackie Gleason didn't get after Hanna-Barbera!

Kevin, The Ed Norton Effect goes on. And will continue to, as long as "The Honeymooners" can be seen, which - judging from all the DVD boxed sets out there and re-runs, etc., etc. - will be for a long, long time. Thank goodness.

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